蛀 (zhù): termite
蛀 (zhù) is a Chinese character meaning “termite.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 虫 (semantic) and 主 (phonetic). It ranks #3111 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 蛀 insect. Its radical form 虫 (insect) appears in many related characters such as 虫 (chóng, insect), 蛇 (shé, snake), 蛋 (dàn, egg).
Definitions
- termite
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 蛀 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 蛀虫noun | zhù chóng | insect that eats into wood, books, clothes etc |
| 蛀牙noun | zhù yá | tooth decay |
| 虫蛀 | chóng zhù | damaged by moths or worms |
| 蠹蛀 | dù zhù | to be moth-eaten |
| 蛀蚀 | zhù shí | to corrupt |
蛀 appears in 5 compound words: 60 as the first character, 40 as the last, and 0 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 蛀 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Example Sentences
了解蛀字的来源，有助于理解中国文化。
le jiě zhù zì de lái yuán , yǒu zhù yú lǐ jiě zhōng guó wén huà .
Understanding the origin of the character "蛀" can help in understanding Chinese culture.
整塔由上万立方米松木搭建，春夏极易滋生天牛、木蠹虫、白蚁等蛀木害虫，正是麻燕主食。
zhěng tǎ yóu shàng wàn lì fāng mǐ sōng mù dā jiàn , chūn xià jí yì zī shēng tiān niú , mù 蠹 chóng , bái yǐ děng zhù mù hài chóng , zhèng shì má yān zhǔ shí .
The entire tower is constructed from over 10,000 cubic meters of pine wood, which is highly susceptible to wood-boring pests such as longhorn beetles, wood borers, and termites during spring and summer—the primary food source for the spotted swift.
理性看待含奥拉氟的牙膏 专家：正确刷牙才是防蛀关键
lǐ xìng kàn dài hán ào lā 氟 de yá gāo zhuān jiā : zhèng què shuā yá cái shì fáng zhù guān jiàn
Take a Rational Approach to Toothpaste Containing Fluoride—Experts Say Proper Brushing Is the Key to Preventing Cavities
此类衣物应该尽量装袋平放，防霉防蛀。
cǐ lèi yī wù yīng gāi jǐn liàng zhuāng dài píng fàng , fáng méi fáng zhù .
These types of garments should be placed flat in bags whenever possible to prevent mold and moths.
牙痛要人命!蛀牙不补死亡风险增1.7倍
yá tòng yāo rén mìng ! zhù yá bù bǔ sǐ wáng fēng xiǎn zēng 1 . 7 bèi
Toothache can kill people! The risk of death without tooth decay increased by 1.7 times
Character Family
Semantic Family — Characters sharing the 虫 (insect) component
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 蛀 (zhù) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 蛀 have?
What is the radical of 蛀?
What are the components of 蛀?
What are common words containing 蛀?
What characters sound the same as 蛀 (zhù)?
Is 蛀 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 蛀 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.